


Served With a Smile

by DemonRiRi



Category: BanG Dream! (Anime), BanG Dream! Girl's Band Party! (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, Fluff, ft. Misaki's self loathing, rated T for naughty swear words, the original coffee shop AU unheard of before
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-14
Updated: 2018-12-14
Packaged: 2019-09-18 08:31:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16991556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DemonRiRi/pseuds/DemonRiRi
Summary: Misaki's day is always the same - go to university, work part time at a coffee shop, go to bed and repeat. Things begin to change when an outgoing blonde forces her way into Misaki's life, and she's forced to learn more about both herself and the people around her.Coffee Shop/College AU focused on exploring Misaki and Kokoro as characters and the relationship between them.





	Served With a Smile

There was little more noise than the blowing of a fan and the buzzing of cicadas in the sunlit coffee shop. A lack of customers and the setting sun gave the place a nostalgic atmosphere - perhaps a mixture of its emptiness and the subtle red tones. Although maybe it was just Misaki that found solitude nostalgic.

 

The shop had never attracted too many customers, given it’s out of the way location, but the place's cozy, rustic vibe meant that there were a fair amount of regulars. However, unfortunately for Misaki’s sanity, none of those had showed in hours, leaving her alone with little more than her phone and a limitless supply of coffee.

 

“Well, just an hour until closing, I guess.” Misaki muttered to nobody in particular while stifling a yawn. She appreciated some alone time but there was quite frankly a limit to what she could possibly find to pretend to clean. She pulled up her hat and ran a hand through her hair slowly, before resting pulling the hat back down and cupping her head in her hands on the front desk. Normally the girls from that wannabe indie rock band would show up and loudly discuss their most recent performance, but it seemed that even they were busy.

 

If nothing else, Misaki could at the very least bask in the tranquility of the place. Being set aside in a rarely visited alley did come with very little traffic - for better or worse. Whoever owned the building clearly had a specific vibe in mind, and Misaki certainly couldn’t deny that the well kept wooden panelling and polished mahogany tables helped keep the cafe refined, even if it was mostly frequented by college students.

 

 _Must’ve been expensive though,_ she thought while thoroughly surveying the area for what must have been the tenth time that day, _I’ve gotta wonder how the bosses are pulling a profit from this place._ She paused and then laughed quietly, her lips forming a slight smirk. _Could also just be window dressing while they operate at a ridiculous loss, I guess._ The laughter quickly stopped. Ah, hold on, _that’d put me out of a job pretty fast._

 

Misaki supposed that she didn’t exactly use a lot of money anyway. The job was more for luxuries; she didn’t exactly go out much and a monthly allowance from her parents more or less covered her rent and necessities, as much as she’d tried to tell them that it wasn’t necessary. They never did particularly listen, and at the end of the day it was making her life easier no matter how bad she felt about it, so she couldn’t complain.

 

“Hello? Are you there? Coffee shop-chan?”

 

“Bwueh?” With all the grace and elegance of a bear, Misaki jumped backwards and flailed her arms at the sudden intrusion of her personal space. How the blonde girl in front of her had managed to point her finger directly in front of Misaki’s face without her noticing she had no idea, but it very quickly snapped her out of her reverie and brought her to attention.

 

“Ah- uh-  hello, and welcome to Hello, Happy Coffee, bringing you the world’s best coffee with a smile. Can I help you?” The words escaped her mouth like clockwork, a customary greeting forced into her through weeks of training and a complete and total loss of dignity.

 

On closer inspection the girl in front of her was definitely no regular - in either sense of the word. The long blonde hair that had so easily caught Misaki’s attention fell freely down to her waist, forming a striking pair with eyes that could only be described as golden. Alongside a childlike grin, they made the perfect picture of innocent joy, helped by the way the girl kept subtly bouncing from foot to foot as if she had a near limitless supply of energy to spare.

 

“Can I have a smile?” The girl leaned as far forwards as possible, once again infiltrating Misaki’s personal space like she was on a mission to make her uncomfortable. Blushing, the worker took a step backwards and closed her eyes briefly to compose herself.

 

“A… a smile?”

 

_Is this girl okay? Why is she trying to hit on me like that old man from last week?_

 

Misaki’s mind paused for a brief second.

 

_...Am I being hit on by another girl?_

 

“This is supposed to be the happiest coffee in the world!” After a second or so the girl pushed her hand out forwards, pointing directly at Misaki. “How can the coffee be happy if you aren’t? So smile!” She withdrew her hand and placed both of them on her hips, a confident smile now plastered onto her face.

 

Ah, so she wasn’t being hit on. The other girl was just an idiot. Misaki wondered if that was an improvement or not - at the very least it was ever so slightly less awkward. Either way, this girl was weird; she very clearly had the body of at least a seventeen year old, and yet she seemed to be acting with a sense of childishness that could only be found in, well, children.

 

“Uh, I’m sorry? I’m, uh, not very good at smiling on demand, I guess,” Misaki stuttered out an attempt at an explanation. She wasn’t great at dealing with other people at the best of times. Throw in some weird pseudo-flirting and a good deal of seeming immaturity and you had someone that Misaki really didn’t think she could handle effectively. If Kanon were here, she’d probably more than have the patience necessary for this encounter -  but unfortunately she didn’t work on fridays.

 

“Hm? But it’s easy, isn’t it? Just smile!” With this, the other girl jumped backwards and grinned as widely as she could as if it were the easiest thing in the world. From the looks of how natural that smile was, it very well might have been.

Misaki had to stifle a sigh at this. Being told to ‘just smile’ didn’t exactly make it any easier. You needed something to smile about, right? She wasn’t being ridiculous in thinking that, she hoped.

 

“I- I’m sorry ma’am, I can’t just smile on demand like that. Uh, is there anything else you’d like to ord-”

 

“Kokoro!” The girl basically shouted this, interrupting Misaki’s request and smiling like what she had just said made even the _slightest_ amount of sense.

 

“E-excuse me? Kokoro?” Misaki enquired while desperately racking her brain. _Did we have something called Kokoro on the menu? Is that a new drink that management is trying to push?_ Her frown only deepened as nothing came to mind, which in turn caused the other girl to look ever so slightly disgruntled - well, as disgruntled as she could manage despite her ever-present smile.

 

“Yup, that’s my name! No need to call me ma’am..” She leaned forwards and peered intently at Misaki’s nametag, her eyes widening in acknowledgement as she found what she was looking for, “...Misaki!” Then she practically scooped up Misaki’s hand and forced her into a handshake (or, more accurately, she wildly waved her hand up and down and Misaki found herself unwillingly dragged along).

 

“Uh,” Misaki eloquently replied. Frankly she wasn’t entirely sure what was going on, but she knew that was caught in the other girl’s pace. She allowed her hand to fall limply by her side when Kokoro broke off the handshake and returned to placing her hands on her hips.

 

 _Who is this girl? Can she please calm down a little?_ Taking a deep breath, Misaki pulled up her hat and ran her hand through her hair in an hopes that it would help her regain some semblance of normality.

 

“Um, Kokoro...san, is there anything else you’d like?” She asked.

 

Maybe this time she would get an actual answer.

 

“Nope, just a smile!” Kokoro said in reply.

 

She could only dream of such a simple transaction.

 

Another deep breath. Sure, the customer was annoying. Sure, they kept making ridiculous requests, wasting her time and being generally quite childish. It still wouldn’t do any good to snap at them - both for her job and her conscience. As she attempted to compose herself, Kokoro simply remained in front of the counter, smiling and humming a tune that was probably known only to her.

  


At this point it was only harming her sanity trying to fight her fate - Misaki was fairly confident things would all be over much faster if she just tried to smile and make the girl promptly move along.

 

So, with what little energy she could muster, she forced her mouth into a smile and prayed that her eyes would get the memo.  

 

“...Are you okay, Misaki? Do you need help?” Kokoro said as she tilted her head, concerned. Clearly that plan had failed, so Misaki opted for the direct approach.

 

“Look, please just order something on the menu. Management say they don’t like loitering and I really don’t have the energy to try and force you out of the premises, so just… please,” Misaki half begged, the desperation becoming increasingly clear on her face.

 

“Hmm… I don’t feel like having a coffee right now, so I guess I’ll leave! But don’t worry, I’ll be back, and I’m going to make you smile!” And just like that, as quickly as she had arrived Kokoro was leaving, marching out the door while humming another song that clearly existed only within the confines of her own mind. As she shut the door and began walking along the outside of the shop, Misaki took the opportunity to breathe a heavy sigh of relief and slump down. If nothing else the interaction made her appreciate the longer quiet stretches - at least she didn’t have to deal with the kind of people she was so terrible at talking to.

 

***

  
  


“Where does this go, Kanon-senpai?” Six days later and Misaki was on another shift, this time with Kanon helping. The shop wasn’t any busier than it had previously been, so Misaki certainly couldn’t complain about the company. Plus, Kanon was the type of person she could handle - shy, considerate, and no more interested in forcing a discussion than she was.

 

“Ah, those need to be thrown away. Could you put them in the bin outside, please?” Kanon asked while pointing in the direction of the door. The brunette made a rough noise of affirmation and moved through the (unsurprisingly empty) cafe, only to find herself confronted by the impassable obstacle that was the glass door.

 

 _Alright, let’s work this one out._ Both her arms were full of various objects from the back that Kanon said were to be thrown out. This made the door - which required the use of at least one hand to pull open -  a truly unbeatable foe. Kanon herself was busy sorting out stock, which meant she was both too far a distance away to be called to, and furthermore in a situation that Misaki did not want to disturb her in to begin with. So by that logic she could not get her assistance in the matter, and thus -  

 

“Hello!” Misaki’s thoughts were interrupted by the aforementioned door suddenly assaulting her, causing her to stumble backwards and drop most of what she was holding. This gap created by her movement was suddenly filled with a blur of blonde hair and energy, as the girl from last week pushed herself into the cafe as loudly and grandly as was humanly possible. “Oh, Misaki! Are you okay?” Kokoro looked down at her concernedly and stretched out her hand.

 

Biting her tongue - _no I’m not okay, you knocked me on the damn floor_ \-  Misaki took the offer and allowed herself to be pulled up into a standing position. Having returned to two feet she dusted herself off, before quietly sighing and beginning to pick up the miscellaneous garbage strewn about the floor.

 

“Ah, let me help!”

 

 _Please, don’t help. You’ll just make things worse, I can do this on my own,_ Misaki thought, but all she vocalised was a muted, begrudging ‘thanks’.

 

The two worked in silence for a few moments, each picking up enough between them to actually manage without being overburdened (in hindsight perhaps Misaki could have simply done multiple trips, but she was always the type to try and finish work as soon as she could).

 

“So, where were you taking this stuff?” Kokoro asked chirpily with a wide grin on her face, as per usual. There was something admirable about that willingness to help somebody else without really questioning it, Misaki supposed, although a larger part of her would also call it childish.

 

“Ah, it was supposed to go in the bin outside.” Misaki replied, moving over to the door and this time opening it without incident. Her companion followed suit, and together the two of them safely transported all the useless garbage to the bins without any door related incidents.

 

Task completed, Misaki turned to Kokoro and nodded, muttering “Ah, thanks for helping,” as she did so. The blonde simply smiled in return, as if it were the simplest thing in the world. Well, perhaps it was the simplest thing in the world to her, Misaki really had no idea.

 

“Have you, uh, come to order this time?” She asked with a tinge of desperation in her voice, which elicited a musical laugh from Kokoro.

 

“Mhm! I know you’d get all grumpy if I didn’t, so I figured I’d try one of the cakes on the menu! Cakes are fun, right?” Kokoro said.

 

 _Fun?_ _Not quite how I’d describe them._ She didn’t complain though - she’d take a little weirdness over having to try and force her to order something again. Instead she curtly nodded and motioned for the other girl to follow her as she went back inside and was hit with a refreshing wave of warm air from the cafe’s interior. Kanon appeared to still be in the back (lost, presumably, but Misaki would give her the benefit of the doubt for now), so she took it upon herself to head behind the counter and take Kokoro’s order. The customer in question stood patiently near the till, although she returned to her usual jittery self when Misaki slid her a menu.

 

“Uh, please pick anything from the menu - they’re all delicious, affordable and baked with-” she blanched a little, the urge to roll her eyes at a level that very nearly overpowered her “- flour, love and smiles.” If Kokoro noticed her blatant disgust she showed no signs of acknowledgement, and simply began to peruse the menu happily - smile obviously widening every time she saw something that piqued her interest, and mouth bordering on a frown whenever something seemed to put her off. It was… cute, in a way that even Misaki couldn’t deny. There was something about that raw honesty that she almost admired, even if the thought of it terrified her.

 

“Ooh, this triple chocolate cake looks fun!” There it was again; it was becoming increasingly clear that ‘fun’ was the main word of praise in this girl’s vocabulary. “I’ll take two of those!”

 

“T-two?” Misaki asked, unsure if she had misheard or if this girl was actually insane. “They aren’t small cakes, they’re, uh, kind of oversized for the price, actually.”

 

“Mhm, yep! I’ll take two of them, please!” Kokoro grinned, all the while pulling out a bill that was _far_ too large for the price she was paying. Misaki paused for a few moments, but eventually shrugged and got to work grabbing two nonsensically large cakes infused with copious amounts of coco (and presumably an inordinate amount of calories). When she returns to the counter with them Kokoro is still as excited as ever, and her interest only seems to grow as the cakes appear.

 

“Uh, about your change…” Misaki didn’t consider herself lazy, but the idea of having to count out the absolutely ridiculous difference between the price of the cakes and what Kokoro had paid using only what was in the till daunted her.

 

“Keep it! It’s fine, no need to be so worried about the small things, Misaki.” She waved her hand airily while grabbing the cakes and taking them to the table nearest the counter. Misaki balked at the idea - did she actually understand just how much money she’d put down?  
  
“K-Kokoro-san? I, uh, really don’t think you should…” Misaki began before quickly finding herself interrupted.

 

“Really, just keep it! I’m not gonna take the change anyway, so I think you should just go along with it!” She winked cutely - in an objective sense, of course, Misaki assured herself - before tucking in to the cake directly in front of her. Misaki engaged in the customary temple rubbing, sighing, acceptance routine she was becoming increasingly familiar with, but eventually acquiesced and places the note in the till. Still, she thought, she should probably mention this to Kanon later, lest she think that money came from somewhere a little less than legal.

 

“More importantly…” Kokoro continued. Having head her voice, Misaki looked over at the blonde girl, who flashed an even wider smile before continuing.

 

“Come and join me! Nobody’s here, so you should sit and talk to me! Look, I even have a spare cake!” She gestured at the food in question with one hand while pointing to the chair opposite her with the other.

 

“Eh, why?” Misaki asked eloquently, with her customary soulless expression giving way to something slightly more quizzical. Was this a thing people did? Did people just ask the staff to eat food with them and… wait, “Did you buy that second cake just for me?” As expected she received a quick, energetic nod in reply, like this was a thing _people just did_. “I… I can’t accept that, really, I shouldn’t-”

 

“Why shouldn’t you?” Kokoro tilted her head to the side, her face slightly less happy than usual.  That… was a good question, Misaki supposed. On a realistic level there was frankly no reason for her to refuse but… people just didn’t do things like that. They didn’t just sit and eat with customers who had brought them free food despite only having met them once for an exceptionally brief period of time. Quite honestly she was beginning to worry for this girl’s safety - if she treated everyone like she was currently treating Misaki then she was likely to find herself in a predicament much sooner than later.

 

Still…

 

 _I’m not sure refusal is something that resonates with Kokoro-san. I’m probably not going to get anywhere unless I go along with this, am I?_ Misaki briefly debated the topic in her head, but in the end decided that free cake and the chance to prevent this conversation from being extended and somehow embarrassing her further was probably better than the alternative, so she tentatively stepped out from behind the counter and joined the now ecstatic blonde at her table.

 

“Hi Misaki!” Kokoro all but exclaimed as the other girl sat down. She couldn’t say anybody had ever been this excited to see her in her life, and the reaction both scared her and ever so slightly elated her (not that she’d admit that fact).

 

“Ah, yeah, hi.” Misaki played along for a reason unbeknownst to her - they’d both already been talking for a good ten minutes at this point, there was really no reason to say hi - but it didn’t help with how exceptionally awkward the whole scenario felt. Kokoro slid the other cake across the table to her, and she began lazily picking at it, still feeling mildly apprehensive about having been bought food by someone who realistically should not have been doing her any favours.

 

The two sat in surprisingly comfortable silence for a few minutes as they both busied themselves with eating. Admittedly, Kokoro was far more enthusiastic about the activity, but the cake was delicious enough that even Misaki found herself unable to resist.

 

“Say, Kokoro-san?” Misaki said, looking up from the chocolate armageddon on the table in front of her.

 

“Hmm?” She replied, mouth still half full of chocolate. It’s devastatingly adorable, but also somewhat off putting.

 

“Uh, why do this, exactly? I mean, I appreciate it - thanks, honestly - but it’s not, uh, something people usually do, you know? We’ve only met once, and I was pretty rude to you, all things considered.” Misaki questioned.  Kokoro took a moment to think with a somewhat exaggerated “hmm” sound, but quickly answered as if it were obvious.

 

“You just looked like you needed it. I mean, you looked grumpy last week, but that was a normal amount of grumpy that people sometimes seem to get when they talk to me. Today you just look… mega grumpy! You probably wouldn’t tell me what’s wrong, so I figured maybe you’d cheer up if you had some cake - everybody loves cake!”

 

There was a small, pregnant pause before it happened.

 

Against her better wishes Misaki found her mouth slowly curling into a small smile, the faintest hint of a laugh beginning to escape her. It really was that simple for the girl, huh? If somebody wasn’t smiling then she should make them smile. It was almost painfully naive and yet somehow  Misaki couldn’t stop herself from grinning.

 

 _Ah, crap_.

 

She quickly shook her head and forced her mouth back into a neutral position, but the damage had already been done.

 

“Ah, you smiled! You’re finally actually smiling!” Kokoro said excitedly, pointing over the table.  


“N- no! My face just twitched, don’t look at me!” Misaki said while blushing desperately.

 

“M-Misaki-chan? W-what’s going on?” Kanon poked her head out from the back, looking at the scene in front of her, confused.

 

***

  
  


A gentle sigh and the soft pattering of rain on the window was all that broke the silence which permeated the cafe. The constant tapping of keys had long since stopped, and Misaki was faced only with frustration when she looked upon the laptop’s screen.

 

Nothing was getting done.

 

The miserable weather meant that the chances of somebody coming for a coffee were near zero, and so with several hours still remaining on her shift Misaki had decided that she should at the very least sit down and try and get some work done for university. But it turned out motivation was a fickle mistress, and thus the page remained blank, taunting her with its sheer emptiness.

 

She yawned and stretched widely, turning her attention to the windows for a few moments. Squinting, she thought she could make out a bright yellow umbrella amidst the autumn rain on the other side of the street. After a few moments it seemed to grow larger, as if the owner was approaching the cafe despite the weather. Brief flashes of vivid blonde slowly revealed to Misaki that the person was probably Kokoro, and while she had no proof of that, she immediately knew her fate was sealed.

 

 _Gonna be one of those shifts, huh?_ The impending arrival of the girl filled her with a strange mixture of dread, anticipation and excitement (Misaki did her best to quell the excitement, though). Two meetings with Kokoro had already proved that while they certainly brought some excitement to her shifts, interaction with the girl was bad for Misaki’s long term health and normal way of life.

 

A few deep breaths later and the door was pushed open with a light jingle. Sure enough, in the entrance stood a slightly damp Kokoro, who hummed lightly and closed her umbrella.

 

“Oh? Misaki?” She looked over as she placed her umbrella in the stand, eyes flashing briefly over to the counter in confusion. “You’re not working today?”

 

Misaki gently pushed her laptop shut and scratched her neck.

 

“Ah, I am, just…” She glanced around the room pointedly. Unsurprisingly, it was still totally empty. “...Not much point me standing around behind the counter right now, y’know?”

 

Kokoro seemed to think for a few moments before shrugging, smiling, and sitting opposite Misaki. The brunette sat expectantly for a few moments, but found herself oddly disappointed when Kokoro, too, pulled out a laptop from her small bag. In response, she re-opened her own laptop in the hopes of progress. She continued to struggle, but the sounds of continued typing intermingled with vague, thoughtful, hums suggested that Kokoro was having no such issue.

 

“Hey, Kokoro-san, you go to university too, right?”

 

The typing stopped, and the other girl peeked from round her laptop to look directly at a slightly embarrassed Misaki. After a few lengthy moments in which Misaki strongly reconsidered her decision, Kokoro grinned and replied.

 

“Mhm!”

 

 _I already had an idea but… it seems strange._ She didn’t mean to be rude, but Misaki couldn’t quite deny the fact that the idea of somebody as… free-spirited as Kokoro going to university didn’t quite fit the image she had in her mind. Then again, every action she took seemed to contradict Misaki’s expectations, so perhaps she just wasn’t the best judge of character.

 

“I don’t think you’ve ever mentioned what subject you’re doing, right?” Misaki said, attention firmly not on the work in front of her.

 

“Ah, I’m in my first year of economics and business. But what about you, Misaki?”

 

The diversion didn’t go unnoticed, but Misaki chose not to question it (she was already somewhat reeling from the idea that Kokoro would be doing such a serious subject, if she was honest). She lightly tapped on the table, the screen in front of her darkening slightly from lack of use.

 

“Oh, I never said either, right. Uh, I’m in costume design, with a focus on creating for stage plays. I’m minoring in sound and music design for that kind of thing, too.” Misaki said, a light blush creeping onto her face.

 

Kokoro failed to care about this though, and leant forward with widened eyes. The light scent of flowers tickled Misaki’s nose, and she shuffled backwards ever so slightly. She was already getting a little more acquainted with Kokoro than she would have liked - she didn’t need her personal space invaded even further.

 

“Ooh, that sounds amazing! Why did you choose that?” Kokoro said, hands planted firmly on the table and laptop firmly ignored.

 

“I, uh, guess I just enjoyed making things for my friends and family, and it sort of spiralled on from there. Didn’t have much else I wanted to do, so I just kept on with this and now I’m here.” Her mumblings did nothing to dissuade Kokoro’s excitement - if anything she looked even more interested by the discussion the more Misaki continued.

 

“Ah, so you do it to make other people happy?” Kokoro said.

 

“I… guess?” Misaki replied, though she trailed off ever so slightly.

 

She’d never thought about it - not seriously. It made sense when she considered it though; she wasn’t a particular high point in her list of priorities, so the only people she could really care about assisting were, well, anybody else. Though…

 

“Hm?” Kokoro tilted her head quizzically at the glance, prompting Misaki to turn crimson and look away awkwardly.

 

If she thought about it like that, she wasn’t really any different to the girl sitting across from her. Frankly, as much as Kokoro was growing on her she wasn’t quite ready to consider that possibility.

 

“More importantly though, does it make _you_ happy?”

 

Misaki stopped in her tracks. She looked at Kokoro, mouth curved into a frown as if the question was the most nonsensical thing she had ever heard.

 

“I, uh, guess?” Her rhythmic tapping increased in speed as she quietly pondered the question. “It doesn’t make me unhappy, so that’s good enough for me.”

 

This elicited a loud, sudden, and extremely surprising groan from Kokoro. Looking back at her, Misaki saw her face twisted into a pout ( _that doesn’t look right, stop that)_.

 

“What’s the problem?” Misaki asked.

 

“You are, Misaki!” Kokoro said as she leaned even further forwards.

 

_Well, that’s kind of rude._

 

“You need to think about yourself as well! How can you make other people happy if you’re not smiling yourself?” Kokoro said as angrily as somebody like Kokoro could really say anything. Still though, through her frown Misaki thought she could detect a hint of pity, or maybe empathy? The girl was fairly easy to read, particularly when she deviated from her usual routine of being all smiles and sunshine.

 

“That’s… true, I guess. But I’m really not that concerned, you know? I’m fine if I can keep helping other people out.” She glanced out of the window, vaguely reminiscing over times long gone - recalling lonely lunchtimes and loud arguments at home. The brief image of her younger sister’s tears fading as she held the felt doll Misaki had made flashed in her mind, resulting in a small smile. “I’m a pretty aimless person, but I’m telling the truth on this one. As long as I can do something for other people, I’ll be satisfied.”

 

Kokoro just stared for a few moments as Misaki awkwardly scratched the back of her neck, blush creeping across her face more and more with each passing second. Then, as if nothing had ever happened the blonde was back to her usual sunny smile.

 

“You really are a good person, huh Misaki?”

 

Myriad emotions flitted through her brain, but all that she could force out was a muffled ‘thanks’, which seemed to be good enough for Kokoro. The two of them returned to their usual positions in silence, Kokoro’s rhythmic typing again distracting from the pouring rain. Misaki again glanced at the screen, the empty canvas reminding her of just how little she had done. She thought for a few moments. About her siblings, and the long days spent distracting them from the reality of their situation; about her classmates, and the looks of relief on their faces when she had organised the costumes and sounds a month in advance; even about Kokoro, and the way she seemed to light up at the mere idea of helping somebody else. Misaki thought for a few moments, and with an uncharacteristically real smile began to draw.

  


***

  
  


“Uh, Kokoro-san, I’m not really sure we should be doing this.”

 

“Nonsense, Misaki! This is a great idea!”

 

Misaki _really_ had to wonder what she was doing with her life. Somehow another chain of chance interactions with Kokoro over the next month had led to a small discussion about things she’d always wanted to do ( _I just think it would be kind of fun, I mean, it’s not something I’m desperate to do I guess)_ , and thus, at Kokoro’s insistence, she had found herself in an ever so slightly abnormal position.

 

“...Where did you even get this keyboard from? Why did we just have one of these in the back?” Misaki said, tentatively running her hand over the faux ivory keys. Kokoro shrugged nonchalantly, and Misaki assumed that that was all the response she would get, so she decided not to ask any more questions.

 

“There’s no need to give up on music just because of your work, Misaki! You talked about wanting to do it, so why not do it now?” Kokoro said.

 

“Uh,” Misaki looked around pointedly. The cafe was empty but she was still in uniform and behind the counter, “...because I’m at work? I can’t just mess around and play music in the store, what if a customer comes in that isn’t you?”

 

“Well, then you play them a song while you take their order! Like,” she struck a pose, holding an imaginary microphone in front of her face, “ _Welcome to Hello Happy Coffee~, Served with a smile or it’s free~_.”

 

Kokoro’s singing was about in line with what Misaki expected - discordant, ridiculous and completely ignorant of any actual musical rules. Yet, once again, she found herself stifling a small smile at the ridiculous antics. They were… stressful, certainly, but somehow she appreciated the entertainment (it had become easier to deal with after the last few times, where she had accepted that it would be far out of her comfort zone). She tilted her head slightly and tried to replicate Kokoro’s tune, to moderate success.

 

The other girl smiled slightly wider at that.

 

“Oooh, you can do that, Misaki? That’s amazing!” Kokoro said excitedly, leaning forwards over the counter. Misaki blushed and shrugged nonchalantly.

 

“It’s not too hard, I guess? Your notes are pretty clear.” She scratched her neck and tapped out a small ditty on the keyboard, awkwardly glancing down so as not to make eye contact with the other girl. _Crap, I’m not good at taking compliments, huh?_

 

“I still think it’s amazing! Being able to play an instrument, and learn a song that quickly? How is that not super fun?” Kokoro said. She stared happily at the keyboard along which Misaki’s fingers danced slightly clumsily. The brunette pressed a wrong note, causing her to shake her head and look back at Kokoro.

 

“Have you never tried to learn an instrument? Seems like you really love music, somehow. I figured it’d be right up your alley,” said Misaki.

 

“Hmm…” Kokoro put a finger to her lips and tilted her head somewhat pensively. “There’s just some things I can’t do, you know? That’s why it’s even cooler that you _can_!”

 

“Well, it’s not like I started off any good. You’d be able to do it with a bit of practice, y’kn-”

 

“Ah, let’s not talk about this, let’s talk about you instead!” Kokoro insisted, and while the smile remained on her face, Misaki got the feeling that it was more of an urgent request than she was letting on. She was curious as to what had prompted the sudden forced topic change, certainly, but she moved along nonetheless.

 

“T-there isn’t much to talk about on that front. I’m not all that interesting, really.” Misaki said while she looked down at the suddenly significantly more exciting keyboard. The list of things that were worth talking about when it came to Misaki were… short, to say the least. Mostly she wanted to figure out why Kokoro was so vehemently opposed to discussing her inability to do certain things, but that was neither a character trait nor a viable avenue for dialogue.

 

“Hm? I’d say you’re plenty interesting, Misaki. I mean, you don’t seem to care about your job but you also never miss any work and you’re never late.” Kokoro began to count on her fingers with each point,  “You seem uninterested in other people but your entire degree is based around trying to help them. And…” She looked directly into Misaki’s eyes for the next one. “You probably don’t like me, but you always go along with everything I make you do anyway, for some reason!”

 

The intensity of Kokoro’s stare lessened, and she exaggeratedly placed her hands upon her hips.

 

“So you see Misaki, you’re super interesting!” Kokoro said.

 

“Wait, wait, hold on, backup a second. Firstly, I kinda feel like I just got called out somehow. Secondly, what do you mean I probably don’t like you?” Misaki said.

 

“Well, I mean, you’ve acted super awkward around me ever since we met - your face even fell when I came in the other day! I mean, it makes sense, you’re super quiet and all ‘ _I just wanna be left alone’_ , and I keep talking to you!” Kokoro said.

 

Misaki felt that she saw a brief flicker of a pout flash across Kokoro’s face, but if it were even there to begin with it disappeared as soon as it had shown up. Still, she couldn’t hide the emotion in her eyes and Misaki saw a noticeable pang of sadness in them.

 

_...How can I tell what she’s thinking from her eyes now? Is she really that easy to read or am I just being a sappy moron?_

 

“Hey, look, Kokoro…” Misaki said, prompting a small, questioning, noise from the other girl, “I’ll admit, I figured you were a little annoying at first - you’re just… uh, not the type of person I can deal with.” As she saw Kokoro’s smile began to dip ever so slightly, she quickly continued. “But that was only when we first met. You’re still not the kind of person I’m used to dealing with but, uh, you’re way more nice than I gave you credit for. I mean, I can see that you’re only being so forward to try and make other people happy, and I can respect that, y’know?”

 

She awkwardly scratched her neck, a small smile creeping onto her face.

 

“You talked about the weird things I do, and it sounds a bit stupid coming from me, but I wanna make people happy as well. I mean-” Misaki shook her head “-not to the same level as you, and mostly just because I’m too awkward to deal with people being mad and too aimless to do anything else, but -”

 

She was silenced by a soft finger on her lips. (She wasn’t sure whether to be angry or slightly embarrassed, so she settled for confused.)

 

“That doesn’t matter, Misaki.” Kokoro’s smile was softer than Misaki had ever seen it, and about twice as charming as usual. She can make out a whispered _thanks_ before the finger is removed and the smile is returned to its usual intensity. “But that’s enough of that discussion, Misaki! Let’s take this from the top - we’re going to compose the new theme for Hello, Happy Coffee! Even if it takes all day, we’re not leaving until we’ve made a masterpiece, right?”

 

“E-eh? K-Kokoro-san, I don’t think I have all day…”  
  
“Good music takes time, Misaki!”

 

 _Oh no._ Misaki thought, the urge to sigh rising ever more. Still, she couldn’t quite hold back the tiniest of grins, even as she cursed herself for ever giving Kokoro the opportunity to rope her in.

 

***

 

Three weeks passed without any real sign of Kokoro, and Misaki wasn’t sure whether to thank the gods or be a little disappointed. Sure, her sanity was suffering, but she didn’t mind the entertainment at work, and the other girl was very much beginning to grow on her. Still though, she didn’t run into Kokoro next at work, but she instead found herself bumping into Kokoro on the way home to her apartment, of all places.

 

The setting sun cast a warm glow on the park that Misaki always cut through, and if she were a more artistic person she would have waxed poetic about how idyllic it looked coated in the fallen leaves that accompanied autumn.

 

She wouldn’t though. She’d just get annoyed about how loud they were when you stepped on them, and how she could hardly hear herself think. But, as fate would have it, the leaves weren’t the most distracting thing in the park that evening, and were largely overridden by the golden blur running through and shouting “Ah, Misakiiiii!”

 

 _Oh no, she’s finally come to collect payment for the cake._ Misaki thought dryly. Still, while she was tempted to simply pretend she didn’t hear Kokoro and begin rushing home faster, she’d feel more than a little guilty about that, so she stopped and waited for the girl to rush over.

 

“Weird seeing you out here, Misaki! You look as… grumpy as ever.” Kokoro said as she approached, before stopping in front of Misaki with a half smile on her face - evidently a little bothered by said grumpiness. Misaki simply shrugged, though. Wasn’t much she could do about her face naturally looking a little downtrodden.

 

“I… do live near here, so it’s not that weird. I’m just as surprised to see you, y’know.” Misaki replied while the two fell into pace together, with Kokoro evidently either going to the same place as her or following one of her usual whims. She didn’t respond, but instead smiled and looked off ever so slightly into the difference as she walked. _Guess she’s just doing this because she thinks it’s fun, huh? Not sure what’s_ fun _about me, but it’s her choice, I suppose._

 

“Uh…” Misaki faltered for a second in search of something interesting to say. She enjoyed companionable silence as much as the next introvert, but somehow she found herself wanting to have a conversation - perhaps to distract herself from her thoughts. “You live near here, Kokoro-san?”

 

“Hmmm… near-ish, I suppose. I have an apartment a few streets down from here, near Haneoka school district.” Misaki very nearly stopped in her tracks. The Haneoka district was nothing if not prestigious. She’d had an inkling for a while but…

  
“You’re… rich, aren’t you?” She blurted out inadvertently, before realising her mistake and attempting to stammer out an explanation. “I, uh, I mean-”  
  
“Mhm! I hear that a lot, so I suppose I must be. Not sure what’s so great about it, but everyone always seems a little jealous… it makes me sad. And then sometimes even if they don’t seem jealous they suddenly stop talking to me, but won’t tell me why.” Kokoro pouted slightly, though right on schedule her face bounced back into the patented grin she usually adorned. If that admission had come from anyone else, Misaki would have probably found herself annoyed with what sounded like vapid faux ignorance ( _yes, I’m sure you have it so hard with all your money and you have no idea why people are jealous_ ), but it coming from somebody as… straightforward as Kokoro made it difficult for her not to believe it. All things considered it was entirely likely that she really just didn’t understand the value of money, and the bitterness that could come from those who don’t possess it.

 

“Not the type to care about that stuff, huh?” Misaki asked as she stepped over a few branches fallen from the nearby trees. Kokoro simply jumped on them happily, somehow delighting in the noise, before she replied.

 

“Nope! It always seems to make people a little happy, but so many of their smiles feel fake, you know? Especially the old men that keep trying to talk to me about my money… they keep pretending to smile and I don’t get it - why not just smile for real?”

 

 _This girl really is in a realm far beyond me, huh_? Misaki put aside the absurd question for a few seconds, and tried to imagine Kokoro talking to the upper echelon about finances. The resulting image reminded her of a child discussing the economy, and so she had to stifle a wry smirk for a second before reigning things in and trying to reply somewhat seriously.

 

“People do always get a little weird when money’s involved, I guess, yeah. But… well, we all need it.” She said.

 

“That’s true, but some people just want so much of it! I’d much rather have something fun than all this money, but while I have it I might as well try and use it to make other people happy, right?” Kokoro said. The question seemed slightly less rhetorical than it looked on the surface - was she actually asking Misaki her opinion on the topic, or was it just her trying to persuade the other girl that she was using her money correctly?

 

“Is that what you’re doing with your money these days?” She questioned Kokoro in return, who was currently in the midst of twirling around and crunching loudly on the autumn leaves below.

 

“Hmm… not quite yet. I’d like to, but all the old men in suits say I need to think about this stuff and I shouldn’t use my money until I’ve thought about it properly, so I’ve been thinking about it for a few months now.”

 

“And?”

 

“I decided I really do want to try and make people smile, but the old people still say I need to think some more! Don’t they want to see people smile?” Again, the ghost of a pout flashed across her face before it returned to normal.

 

“These old people sound… important, though. Don’t you think they might know what they’re talking about?” She said, though if her hunch was correct they probably just wanted her to save the money for business aspirations. People didn’t get that kind of money without being CEOs, right?

 

“Well, they did say they were here to help me after mama and papa passed away, but…”

 

Kokoro stopped on the side of the path, and Misaki stopped alongside her, sensing the gravitas now behind her words. She continued to smile, as per usual, but her eyes had clouded over slightly as she remembered something else.

 

“They all feel a little creepy, I think? I feel a little bad saying it - I’m sure they’re nice people! But I just get these weird feelings when they try and talk to me, like my brain is telling me not to listen to them. But if mama and papa trusted them enough to help me then they can’t be bad people, right?”

 

 _Ah, shit._ This was an important conversation all of a sudden. An important conversation about a world far beyond Misaki’s self-contained bubble, one that was enough to make even Kokoro hold back slightly. _I’m… not prepared for this._ Every bone in Misaki’s body screamed to avoid the conversation at all costs, but Kokoro’s expectant eyes and innocent yet somehow reluctant smile made that impossible. She breathed in and lifted up her hat to mess with her hair while she composed her thoughts, and after a few moments placed the hat back down and stood up slightly straighter.

 

“They may be good people, that’s true. But… money can change people. Just the idea of it can mess things up and make everything different, and that could have happened to these old men in suits.” Misaki explained tentatively, thinking carefully before each word she uttered. “I don’t know them, so I can’t tell you for sure, Kokoro-san, but sometimes you just have to trust your gut instinct when it comes to people if you have nothing else to go on.” She smiled softly, reminiscing ever so slightly. “And if that doesn’t work, I guess you always have friends… or something like that?”

 

 _Yeesh, that was embarrassing just to say. What kind of advice is ‘you always have your friends behind you?_ Misaki blushed ever so slightly, and only grew more awkward as Kokoro stood there contemplating matters, her smile now fully replaced with a pensive frown as she looked upwards to the sky. The heaviness of her thoughts was almost palpable as she seemed to cross-reference her own opinions with Misaki’s vague attempts at insight.

 

A solid few minutes passed like this, with the pair of them stood calmly, the autumn breeze their only company in the silent park. Misaki, for her part, wanted to crawl into a hole and die, or at the very least rush home and bury her face in her pillows to hide her embarrassment, but at this point she felt obligated to stay and hear Kokoro’s answer.

 

Why exactly was she getting so involved with someone she barely knew anyway?

 

“...Thanks, Misaki.” She was startled from her reverie by Kokoro’s sudden gratitude, and she looked over to find the girl staring directly into her eyes, her usual grin replaced with a soft smile. “I know what I’ll do now!” Kokoro punctuated her announcement with a small wave and ran off, leaving Misaki alone with nothing but her own insecurities and a plethora of questions.

 

“...This girl, honestly.” So few meetings and yet she’d already forced Misaki to open up more than most people did in years - she wasn’t sure whether she should be scared or thankful.

  


***

 

“Welcome to Hello, Happy Coffee - bringing you the world’s best coffee with a smile. What would you like to order?” It was a usual day and the words were forced out in the usual way - a false smile and thinly veiled boredom. Still, the customer didn’t seem to notice, and ordered one of the specials while placing the money on the counter. “One _Orchestra of Smiles_ , Kanon-senpai.” She said to her coworker, who responded with a nod and a smile, then turned back to the customer. “If you just wait over to the left your coffee will be ready soon, ma’am.”

 

Despite it having been a week since she apparently brought Kokoro to a revelation, nothing significant had changed in Misaki’s own life. She’d have been disappointed if she wasn’t expecting it, but as it was she was simply curious.

 

(A normal amount of curious of course - she wasn’t too bothered, honestly. Really. Certainly she didn’t keep an earnest eye just to see if the blonde had decided to come back and tell her how things were going, or bother her about something trivial, or…)

 

Misaki sighed internally. Even she couldn’t deny that she probably needed to talk to someone about this. A quick glance up at the clock hanging on the wall told her that her and Kanon’s shift would end in about half an hour, so with the cafe quiet and the previous customer sitting and working on something while drinking from their strangely underpriced coffee, she sidled over to her coworker.

 

“Hey, Kanon-senpai, are you free after work today?” She surreptitiously asked while washing something or other. Honestly, she doesn’t particularly know what it was, and it was already perfectly clean, but it was more about the action than the result. Blue hair flipped around as Kanon glanced her way, slightly puzzled ( _it’s true I don’t ask you to hang out much of my own accord, but do you need to look so confused? It kinda hurts)._

 

 _“_ Eh? Ah, sure, did you want to do something?”

 

“Y-yeah. There’s something I want to talk to you about, if that’s alright.” Her hat finds itself pulled down over her eyes in an attempt to hide… something. She doesn’t know what, but the less of her face people could see the better.

 

“Okay, sure!” Kanon smiled eagerly, and Misaki almost began to feel bad for asking her to meet up over something so seemingly trivial. If she didn’t sort it out soon she’d become even more emotional, though, and emotions are far too scary for her to handle on their own, let alone in bulk. “Do you want to get coffee… uh…” She paused. Kanon wasn’t exactly a social butterfly herself, so her range of places to name was probably more than a little limited. “...Here?”

 

Misaki shrugged and tepidly responded with “sure”. The girl who covered the shift after them hated human interaction, so she was unlikely to care even one iota about their conversation. This suited Misaki perfectly fine - she hardly wanted herself to know about her personal life, let alone other people.

 

Meeting decided, the pair returned to their synchronised pretence of work, all the while waiting for the clock to tick over and announce the end of that (for Misaki) exceptionally stressful half of an hour. And sure enough, thirty minutes later and a significantly less agreeable girl with blue hair strolled rigidly through the cafe’s door, announcing her entrance with a simple “hello”.

 

“Sayo-san,” Misaki nodded, a basic greeting which was returned in kind by the girl in question. If nothing else she could appreciate that they’d formed an understanding on the basis of ‘we both dislike human interaction’. Admittedly it wasn’t a particularly friendly agreement due to its very nature, but it was an agreement that both girls could nonetheless respect.

 

Both Misaki and Kanon hung up their aprons in the back before approaching the counter, this time from the other side. Sayo frowned at them, a cocked eyebrow more or less asking “seriously?” She got a wry smirk in response, and a brief order for two cappuccinos ( _Creamy Michelles, actually_ ) which she made as quickly and efficiently as possible, not even bothering to uphold the vaguest pretensions of professionalism.

 

Misaki accepted the two drinks with a muttered thanks and guided both her and Kanon to the further corner table from the counter - Sayo took this as a chance to look at sheet music on her phone, as usual - seating them in front of a large window which opened into an expanse of inky darkness. Beautiful, really, but no particular help for Misaki’s mood.

 

“So…” She looked at Kanon, who had taken it upon herself to break the somewhat heavy silence. “You’ve wanted to talk about this for a little while, haven’t you, Misaki-chan? S-sorry if I’m wrong, but you’ve looked a little off for the past few days, you know?”

 

Placing her head in her left hand, Misaki smiled dryly. “That obvious, huh? Yeah, it’s been a weirdly rough past few days, and it’s kinda bugging me because I don’t really know why myself.”

 

“Um, I don’t want to presume anything, but could it be about Kokoro-chan?” Kanon asked tentatively, her interest unable to win out over her innate desire not to offend anyone. She got a calm nod in response.

 

“Mhm, yeah, it is, of cou- wait.” The nodding stopped - this was no time for nodding. “Y-you know Kokoro-san? You know that _I_ know Kokoro-san? H-how?” She asked somewhat louder than she intends to, eyes widening rapidly at the sudden reveal of information that she had never even considered as possibility in her entire life.

 

 _I mean, Kanon is sweet, and innocent, and likely to break in a light breeze, and Kokoro is… Kokoro. How in the name of Babanbo-sama would they have possibly met?_ She stared at Kanon incredulously, wondering what other contacts she might have that have gone unbeknownst to her. Was she acquainted with the Mafia? The Yakuza? The Prime Minister? If she knew Kokoro then basically anything was possible.

 

“I’ve known Kokoro-chan for a year or two now… we, uh, were in a band together, I suppose.” Kanon said, staring at the table with a small smile.

 

Misaki coughed and smacks the side of her head a few times, briefly looking at the floor to see if anything had come out. Like her brain.

 

“M-Misaki-chan? Are you okay?” Asked a concerned Kanon.

 

“Ah, sorry, I just think I must have misheard you. I mean, can you believe that for a second I actually believed you said you were in a band with Kokoro-san? Ridiculous, heh.” She laughed a hollow laugh, devoid of any humour, full only of the endless confusion and pain that her life had become.

 

“...No, you heard me correctly.” Misaki began the process of choking to death for a few moments, but was barely able to get herself under control despite having had her entire perception of Kanon flipped a solid one-hundred-eighty degrees within a matter of seconds. “W-well, I say band but it was more Kokoro-chan making me go along with her whims for a few days. She saw me playing the drums for an event and pressured me into playing as backing for her for a little while.”

 

 _By pressured you mean she asked you a few times and you couldn’t say no, right?_ Misaki sympathised internally.

 

“Well, that makes a lot more sense, I’ll admit. So, did you keep in touch after you stopped playing for her?”

 

Kanon made a small noise of acknowledgement, her eyes clouded with recollection. “She’ll message me every so often about things, and, um, one of those things has been you, uh, recently.”

 

Misaki blushed fiercely at this, though she really didn’t understand why. Evidently the idea that Kokoro would discuss her with someone else was far too much for her to handle - but if she could figure out why that affected her so much it would make her life immeasurably easier.

 

“Well… you’re not wrong about her being the reason I wanted to talk to you today, so I guess that this is kinda useful.” She paused for a second to collect her thoughts, tapping idly on the table with her free hand. “Alright, what I’m going to tell you will probably sound ridiculous, so I’m going to need you to promise not to… laugh, or anything.”

 

Kanon’s eyes widened and her voice softened. “Misaki-chan, I wouldn’t laugh at a problem of yours! Whatever it is, I promise I’ll do my best to help!” She brought both her fists in front of her face then pulled them both down in some strange, misguided attempt at a flex. It was reassuring enough, though, so Misaki went along with it.

 

“Alright, so, uh, ever since I’ve met Kokoro-san, things have been a little… weird.” Kanon looked at her incredulously. “Ah - I mean more so than usual with Kokoro-san. She’s just… I should hate her, I think? She’s so loud, and annoying, and she’s always so honest with everything she does. She just keeps dragging me into these things that I don’t want to do and I can’t help but go along with it - I mean, last week I had to put a foot down because she wanted me to go _skydiving!_ ”

 

Misaki groaned at the memory. She’d rather parade around in a pink fluffy bear suit than jump out of a plane at 12,000 feet, thank you very much.

 

“But that… that sort of stuff I can handle - I figure it’s just because she’s so kind-hearted I’d feel bad if I turned her down, you know? So that’s fine but…” She trailed off for a moment as she figured out how best to phrase the next part without sounding like even more of a failure then she already felt. “...my real problem started a week ago when she, well, was even more open than usual. She talked to me about something pretty important, and I tried to help her, so she went off because it seemed like I had, right?”

 

Kanon nodded, quietly taking a sip of her coffee and waiting patiently for Misaki to continue.

 

“Well, I’ve not seen her since then, and I can’t stop thinking about what happened and whether she’s okay and I just - I just don’t feel _right_. She’s brought something out in me and I’m too emotionally stunted to know why I’m so concerned for a girl I’ve hardly even known for a month, and…” She sighed lengthily and scheduled a meeting between her face and the table, to be carried out immediately. “I just don’t know what to do, Kanon-senpai.” Misaki muttered into the table, exhausted from the confession.

 

Kanon, in response, had to stifle a laugh, which snapped Misaki back up from her furniture rendezvous to glare at the other girl. “Y-you laughed! The one thing I told you not to do!”

 

“S-sorry, Misaki-chan, it’s just… it’s so sweet.” She wiped the beginnings of a tear from her eye as she reigned in her giggles to put on at least a veneer of composure. “I mean, I just never expected I’d see you fall in love, you know?”

 

_Excuse me? Pardon? What now? Come again?_

 

“Ex-pardon now again? Me, do the love? Kokoro?” Misaki eloquently replied, with all the grace and finesse of a giraffe learning to walk. Before the thought hadn’t flitted across her mind for even a fraction of a second, but now that Kanon had suggested it? She was emotionally stunted, but she wasn’t a complete idiot - it would provide more than adequate explanation as to why she was feeling the way she was, and, well…

 

 _I mean, I don’t mind the idea of dating her, I think?_ When all was said and done that was probably the only question worth asking to determine her feelings, and she had to admit the thought was appealing enough. Kokoro was several handfuls, for sure, but she pushed Misaki further than she thought she could go, all the while being so infectiously happy that it hurt. Going out with her would be… trying, certainly, but perhaps a little fun was what Misaki needed in her life? Though she couldn’t quite ignore the gnawing thoughts in the back of her mind that it would be an emotionally draining experience far beyond her capabilities, she did at least have to consider the possibility.

 

“...Okay, maybe I do like her. A little bit. That’s, uh, probably true. I don’t know about love, hell, I don’t even know if it’s a crush yet, but…” She desperately attempted to cover her crimson face to no avail, and so settled for reuniting her face with its one true love (the beautiful mahogany beast that she had put her coffee on). “She’s definitely important to me. More so than anyone else. I’m an idiot, huh?” Misaki mumbled.

 

“Ah - please don’t worry about it Misaki-chan! What’s important is what you do next, right?”

 

“Oh, I’ll probably just crawl into a hole and die, thanks.”

 

“W-why? You know how you feel, so now you can do something about it right?” Kanon pleaded somewhat desperately. Misaki, in response, slowly lifted up her head and looked the other girl directly in the eyes.

 

“It will not work out. She’s rich, outgoing and likeable, whereas I’m…” She motioned towards her entire body from top to bottom. “...y’know. Me. Sure, there’s a chance I’ve fallen for her, but that doesn’t really mean much when you’re… uh, kind of a failure.” She sighs almost imperceptibly and then stands up. “But, uh, thanks Kanon. I appreciate the help, even if there’s not much I can do from here, y’know? It’s nice to have it one step closer to  figured out, at least.” Misaki grabbed the remainder of her coffee and, leaving a stunned and somewhat saddened Kanon behind, began making her way home.

 

***

 

Misaki had far too little time to wallow in her depression - too little time at all. In fact, less than twenty four hours passed she was forced to confront the cold hard reality the situation, and just as she had expected it was in as disastrous and absurd a fashion as always. The cafe was as dead as always, Kanon was as confused as always, and Misaki was tired. As always.

 

“Um, Misaki-chan?” said Kanon quietly, but with a very deliberate sense of urgency.

 

“Hm?” Misaki turned her head in response, the continuation of that thought faltering very quickly as she scanned the street outside.

 

Or, perhaps more aptly, the lack thereof. What had once been a relatively quiet back alley was now filled with a veritable procession of matte black limousines. A brief count brought Misaki to the conclusion there were at least five of them, but likelihood was there were more outside of her field of vision.

 

 _Oh no, she’s come to kill me. I know too much, huh?_ Misaki sighed blithely while hanging up her apron and moving to the front of the counter.

 

“Hey, Kanon-senpai, looks like I may have to take an impromptu break, is that okay?” She asks for posterity, despite the fact that she is already in the process of leaving. Kanon forwent a retort in favour of a small smile and a subtle nod. Misaki wasn’t really looking as she pushed the door open and left with nothing more than a “hopefully I’ll be back soon, I guess.”

 

“Ah, Okusawa-sama. If you would just come right this way, please.” Upon leaving the shop, Misaki was immediately greeted by two exceptionally threatening women dressed in suits with sunglasses covering their eyes. Their voices said ‘please, trust us’ but their demeanor said ‘trust us, or else”, and if Misaki weren’t expecting something of the sort it would have sent a shiver down her spine.

 

“...Sure.” She said quietly.

 

 _Not like I have much of a choice anyway, right?_ She thought dryly as she found herself led, surrounded by three of the women she had dubbed ‘The Suits’, into a limousine slightly larger than the others. The door opening revealed that it was devoid of people, so when she got in and the three Suits followed her, Misaki found herself a little tense.

 

“Alright, what am I here for? I mean, I’m not stupid, I know it’s about Kokoro-san, but why bring this…” She motioned around her, even if the outside wasn’t visible thanks to the limousine’s tinted windows, “...absolutely ridiculous procession?”

 

The Suit in the middle, who seemed to carry slightly more authority than the rest, pauses to look Misaki up and down. The girl simply sat there and tried to look resolute despite internally wanting to leap out of the car and run as far away as possible.

 

_Kokoro-san better thank me if I meet her after this, I’m losing a few years of my life here._

 

“We’ll keep this brief, as I’m sure you’re very busy.” (Misaki stifled a laugh at that one) “There is, next week, a ball to celebrate the young mistress’ inauguration as official head of the family. We would, put simply, like you to attend as her partner in some capacity, as she appears to have taken a liking to you.”

 

Misaki rubbed her head lightly at those words, a raised eyebrow expressing her confusion.

 

“She’s taken a liking to me, sure, but why does that put me above anyone else? Surely someone like Kokoro-san’s got a lot of friends or something like that?” said Misaki.

 

No response but the stifling sounds of silence. She looked around in disbelief, but was unsurprisingly unable to glean anything from the Suits’ expressions. _Seriously? Was her money that much of an issue?_

 

Sure, Misaki would have certainly been the first to call Kokoro a little annoying, but she’d be hard pressed to imagine anyone outright disliking her. Though, thinking about it little, she had a sneaking suspicion that maybe it was out of Kokoro’s hands.

 

“So rather than letting her come and ask me herself you decided to, what, do it for her? Look, I don’t know a lot about Kokoro - I’ll freely admit maybe I’m in the wrong here - but from what I can gather you guys are stepping in _way_ too much. I get she’s important, probably more important than I can imagine, but…” Misaki balled her hands into fists on her lap and looked up, eyes filled with some small level of conviction. “You’re not helping her. You force people to stop talking to her if you think they’re just using her for money, right? Hell, somebody even basically forced her into doing a degree she clearly doesn’t want to do - like hell would Kokoro choose to do business economics on her own.”

 

There was no response again, though the atmosphere in the limousine does feel distinctly more guilty - seemed like she was right on the money.

 

“Yeah, you really just aren’t helping. That’s not gonna make her any better at handling all this stuff - and neither is you coming here to try and make me do this for her. If Kokoro wants me then she can come and ask me herself, otherwise I’m not gonna let you sit here and meddle in her life.” Misaki said, though she knew very well deep down that there was nothing she could change beyond her own actions. Her own words sounded stupid to her, but…

 

_I can’t do nothing. Not when it’s making Kokoro sad._

 

_…_

 

_God, I want to punch myself._

 

The Suits, for their part, also remained locked in silence as Misaki thought. She couldn’t tell if they were thinking for themselves or planning the most efficient and undetectable murder, but she did her best to stand her ground without breaking into a sweat.

 

“...You referred to the young mistress by her first name alone, I see.” The Suit in the middle said, after a pause that felt altogether far too lengthy.

 

“Eh? Ah, oh crap, I did huh. Uh, sorry, I didn’t mean to, I’ll be more respectful next time.” She broke into a furious blush while stammering apologies for what she presumed was her own safety.

 

“There’s no need to worry, Okusawa-sama. It was just something curious I noticed, please do not be alarmed.” Her face relaxed and she stood up alongside the two other Suits beside her, procuring something from her pocket and holding it out. “Your considerations have been duly noted, and we will be sure to discuss them further with you after the ball.”

 

Misaki almost habitually accepted the small slip of paper in the Suit’s hand, though she didn’t really stop to consider what might be written on it.

  
“The young lady is currently wrapped up in various activities, and as such she will not be able to visit you. However, should you wish to talk to her, you may use that ticket for VIP entry to the ball - on your own, and not as her associate.” They opened the door to the limousine, and she gave what Misaki could swear was a small smile. “Consider it an employee benefit. Have a good day, Okusawa-sama.”

 

“...Eh? Employee benefit?” She glanced down at the ticket which was already slightly damp from her cloyingly sweaty hands.

 

_Inauguration of the young mistress Tsurumaki Kokoro,_

_Saturday 17th November - 17:00,_

_Tsurumaki Mansion,_

_VIP Entry - 1 person_

 

It was all Misaki could do to laugh as she left the limousine. Of course Kokoro would be the heir to the Tsurumaki family, famed for their multiple business endeavors and forward thinking nature - including the Hello, Happy Coffee cafes.

 

She stopped laughing quickly and sighed, muttering to herself. “...Do I own a decent looking dress? How do you dress to go and try and grab your bosses attention?”

 

***

  
  


“Who are you pretending to be, exactly?” Misaki mumbled, glaring at the girl in the mirror. Flowing pink dress, hair pulled up a ponytail and a pair of heels - all things that just… weren’t her. She felt like a child parading about in her mother’s clothes, certainly not the type of person you’d find at such a high end event.

 

 _And I’m going to try and… what, win Kokoro’s heart like this is a fairytale? God, what am I doing?_ She groaned loudly and sat down, placing her head in her hands. This was all a stupid mistake, she should never have agreed to it in the first place; Misaki was a socially awkward girl with inattentive parents and a boring part time job - she wasn’t a member of the elite who went gallivanting around at her boss’s parties. For a few moments she looks at the ticket on the desk near her and considers cancelling her arranged transportation. It would be so much easier if she were to simply remain at home, this wasn’t exactly a life or death situation which desperately called for her attention.

 

_And yet…_

 

Kokoro was all alone. The rich girl who didn’t like rich people, spending one of the most important days of her life surrounded by groups of shady old men who cared more about her bank details than the girl herself? Perhaps she was going soft, but when Misaki thought about it like that there really was no debate, was there?

 

“Alright Misaki, you big dumb lesbian, quit thinking about things and just do them.” She said, hoping that giving voice to those thoughts would force her into action. And (with just a few brief moments of panic) into action she is indeed spurred, as she grabbed the shiny ticket and rushed through the door in one swift motion. “Hold on Kokoro, I’m coming for you, because I’m an idiot.”

 

She ignored the blatant, yet entirely reasonable, gawps that her roommate gave as she made her way through the living room to the front door.

 

“Uh, I’ll be going now, I guess? See you later.” Misaki said with a simple wave, leaving the apartment before Arisa even had a chance to react. She’d explain it later - she was already pushing herself to her emotional limit even without having to deal with the twin tailed blonde.

 

When the door was shut and she saw the car outside waiting for her she had to steel herself with a deep breath. She was perfectly aware that getting in that car removed her last avenue for escape and resigned her to an entire night with the bourgeoisie - but the choice was simple nonetheless.

 

“Well, I didn’t get here by thinking rationally, so here goes nothing.” She said, before finally forcing herself to take the last few steps forward, open the car door and get in. The door was shut and the driver given a muted nod. If they weren’t expecting somebody so overdressed to use such a cheap taxi service (she’d already spent half her savings on the dress - if they were judging her then that was their problem _)_ they didn’t show it, and instead they politely nodded back before punching the directions into the GPS and beginning to drive off.

 

Even at a little past four o’clock, it was getting dark enough that Misaki found herself getting just a little melancholic. It was drowned out by crippling fear and anxiety, of course, but the beginnings of dusk always tended to draw a little self reflection out of her.

 

 _Some crazy world where I’m chasing after a girl because I might have a crush on her, huh? Always thought I was a little less of a romantic than that_ . _And of all the girls..._

 

Kokoro Tsurumaki. She realised by this point that she’d done more than her fair share of deep introspective consideration relating to the blonde… but still. The idea of her being in… love (she blushed, then found herself annoyed that she was still acting like a giddy school girl when she wasn’t even sure it was love) with a girl who was not only her worst nightmare on paper but also technically her boss was still ridiculous to Misaki. But any girl who could drive her to such lengths had to be important, right? She was ridiculous, true, but Misaki had never seen anything but the utmost altruism from Kokoro - if she had the capacity to be selfish, she certainly hadn’t shown it.

 

And Misaki herself had probably changed from the encounters, she felt. She was still… well, a bit of a mess, but she was a mess with purpose and a little more willingness to pursue things. Things like Kokoro, for example. A fact she was still incredulous about her - if her parents actually had any real interest in her life then they’d probably kill her for being so stupid. But even if she wasn’t doing it for romantic reasons, she felt that just wanting to help out somebody who had spent their entire life trying to do good for others was a valuable goal.

 

“We’re here, miss.”

 

Misaki’s deep retrospection was abruptly brought to a halt by the voice of her driver. She groans slightly and stirs, shaking her head to try and return to the real world. Carefully standing up, she thanked the driver, paid her fare and stepped out of the car. Then, as soon as she had arrived she was left alone, with the sound of a car driving off into the distance being dwarfed by the sounds of festivities ahead. Misaki gulped quietly and steeled herself for the night ahead.

 

No amount of self-steeling could prepare her for the absolutely nonsensical sight before her though.

 

The Tsurumaki Mansion was… well, big was an understatement, she felt. Even grandiose felt like it was doing the building a disservice - it’s very existence made Misaki feel like she had grown shorter by comparison. That was to say nothing of the display it was putting on - decorations adorned almost the entire building, the mansion now a veritable celebration in its own right. Misaki, meanwhile, lived in a shabby apartment in a cheap neighborhood with a roommate just to be able to afford the costs of living - she didn’t belong there.

 

Still, the ticket grasped tightly in her hand said otherwise, so unless the suits had given her a fake for a truly incredible (and exceptionally mean-spirited) joke, she was in fact invited to the party. Plus, as huge as the mansion’s grounds were, there were thankfully signs pointing her in the right direction, so Misaki quit gawking at the mansion and decided to just get things over with, uncomfortably trudging down the well-kept path in heels she was entirely unused to.

 

If nothing else she could at least marvel at the garden, which was well-kept to the point of absurdity. A perfect mix of colours highlighted the careful placement of flowers, while complex topiaries provided something slightly more unique to marvel at. She wasn’t particularly horticulturally inclined, but Misaki could at the very least appreciate the effort put in - even if it only served to make her feel even more out of place.

 

“Your ticket, ma’am?” In short time, though, she found herself stopped at the mansion’s ornate wooden doors by another mildly threatening woman in a suit - _does the Tsurumaki family only employ moderately attractive women?_ \- to whom she showed the gilded ticket given to her a few days ago. It was inspected and responded to with a nod. The woman then pocketed the ticket and, in replacement, handed Misaki a small yellow star with a number on it. “Your ID. Please keep it in your pocket at all time, as you may be randomly checked.”

 

She then stepped back, holding out an arm as a gesture to proceed. “Now, on behalf of the young lady Tsurumaki-sama, please enjoy your time here.” Misaki nodded, pocketed the star and walked through the entrance hall, her eyes immediately being drawn to the only set of open doors that led into the function room in which the ball was being held.

 

“W-whoah, holy crap.” Even the briefest glance around told Misaki that this was entirely unlike anything she had attended before (and would likely ever attend again). The loud club music she was used to had been eschewed in favour of an understated, yet clearly exceptionally talented, classical orchestra. This, of course, meant that the dance floor - roughly the size of Misaki’s apartment block - was filled with people dressed in impeccable suits and dresses who knew exactly how to move along to the song as if it were a routine ingrained in their very beings.

 

This was to say nothing of the room’s sheer indomitable size - the dance floor was a minute part of a grander scheme - this was a room designed explicitly for such large scale events and as such the only thing that wasn’t floor space was the gigantic red-carpeted stairs in the room’s centre, which touched the furthermost wall from Misak.

 

“I’m… damn… this is something else.” Misaki scratched the back of her head sheepishly, though she quickly withdrew her hand when she noticed somebody staring. Best to act as upper-class as possible while she searched for Kokoro, probably.

 

Speaking of that…

 

 _How exactly am I going to find her?_ If she had to take a rough estimate Misaki would put a minimum of three hundred people in the room - there were probably more wandering around in some of the side rooms she could see, so she’d conservatively say five hundred. _That’s a lot of people to search, even if Kokoro’s pretty easy to pick out._

 

Asking people was immediately out of the question, seeing as how she could hardly talk to regular people, let alone the upper class elite. There also didn’t happen to be any convenient Kokoro signposting around that would direct people to her. Misaki assumed she could use large crowds to identify her, given she was seemingly the focal point of the evening, but no such conglomeration had gathered yet.

 

The lack of Kokoro furthered Misaki’s anxiety, but on the bright side she’d managed to spot the free drinks while looking around. _If I’m already going to be waiting, I might as well… right?_ There was no harm in a little alcohol, she supposed. _Lords knows I need something to calm me down._

 

As she walked, she couldn’t help but notice that all around her were incomprehensible conversations made by people with incomprehensibly expensive outfits - even just getting to the drinks put her in the path of at least two discussions about finances which went so far beyond her she could hardly even comprehend it. What didn’t help was that she could already feel them looking down on her. She was alone, in cheap clothing, and probably looked more awkward than she felt; likelihood was she was their worst nightmare.

 

The table itself was no safer, as it seemed to be the place which a small group had decided to call home. They glanced over at Misaki as she poured herself a glass of the first thing she could get a hold of (it smelled like an expensive wine, but she had no real way of knowing) and began talking in hushed whispers. She sighed quietly and took a gulp of the liquid, eyes returning to rapid scanning of the room. This was only brief though, as the entire room found itself turning to face the centre when the music was cut and a loud ‘clanging’ came from there.

 

“If I could have everyone’s attention, please.” One of the Suits had begun speaking loudly enough for more or less the entire room to hear from her position atop the stairs. “As you all know, this is not just a regular Tsurumaki ball - we are here today with a purpose.” She stepped backwards as the two suits next to her nodded and muttered something into their earpieces. “Today is a special event to celebrate the inauguration of the newest head of the Tsurumaki family - the young lady Tsurumaki Kokoro. It is, she says, with great pleasure that she wishes to come down and meet all of you, so that you may celebrate her new life going forwards.” One more step backwards, one more hushed signal and the crowd began to clap as the tip of a red dress becomes visible on the stairs.

 

It was all too soon that Kokoro began to descend into view and… God, Misaki started to feel even less confident. Her golden hair flowed as freely as usual, but now stood starkly against the vivid red threads of her dress (which was accentuated with a light gilding around the edges). All of that paired with a simple pair of red heels and it was really no more complex than Misaki’s outfit... but she couldn’t help feeling outclassed by just how much Kokoro shone in it. She carried herself with an elegance that Misaki had never seen from the normally juvenile girl, and paired it with a smile several degrees softer than the norm. The brunette found herself being drawn forwards, and it’s all she could do to stop herself from pushing to the front of the gathered crowd.

 

She walked a little way, then stopped in the middle of the stairs to survey everyone. People were packed in tightly behind Misaki, so she assumed that more or less everyone in the room had gathered to look at the girl who’s event it was (regardless of whether or not they actually cared about her).

 

“Good evening, everyone!” Kokoro said before smiling slightly wider, that minute action stirring something within Misaki’s heart

 

“I’m glad everyone here could make it! I was very much nervous about today, but it warms my heart to see such a turnout.” Kokoro said as she looked upon everyone.  “This is a momentous occasion for me, and in fact the entire Tsurumaki family. My parents always believed in the value of bonds with others, and I’m honoured that so many of you could take time from your busy schedules to help me honour that value.”

 

The people around Misaki mumbled vague noises of approval, some nodding and others looking on approvingly, but Misaki herself simply frowned a little as Kokoro continued. Almost instinctively she found herself slowly moving towards the front of the gathered crowd (even if she made as much effort not to actually inconvenience anyone else as physically possible).

 

“Today is, of course, a very important day for the Tsurumaki family - not just for me, but for everyone who has helped us along the way. It is my pleasure to share it with you - and it is my hope that we will continue to have a…” she faltered for a second, her eyes revealing the briefest flash of uncertainty before continuing. “...a lucrative future together.”

 

Nobody else seemed to notice. Nobody in the crowd had even the slightest inkling, and if the Suits had noticed they certainly had no authority to say anything. But Misaki had, and that tiny moment of regret on Kokoro’s face was more than enough to confirm her thoughts.

 

 _You don’t want to read this script at all, do you Kokoro?_ She looked down at herself, stopping briefly a few rows from the very front. This was it, really. Getting to the party had certainly been a big step, but this was going to be the deciding moment for her going forward. Kokoro wasn’t a businesswoman like everybody in the room so desperately hoped, and she wasn’t an unstoppable torrent of joy and fun like Misaki had originally assumed - she was just a scared girl who wanted nothing more than to make people happy.

 

She’d pushed to the very front now, this time entirely by choice. Sure, she could sit around, let Kokoro finish the speech and then talk to her after - that would be the ‘correct’ option which ruffled the least feathers. But if Kokoro had taught her anything, it was that you never got anything done if you didn’t want to bother anyone, and even if Misaki knew she’d hate herself for it later she had to force herself into action, lest she regret it for years to come.

 

“So hopefully, with the help of our business associates, and, um, our…”

 

_Sorry, me. I’ll repay you later, I swear._

 

“Hey, Kokoro! Over here!” Misaki shouted wildly, abruptly interrupting the Kokoro who had already begun to falter once again. “Is that really what you want to say? Are you really okay just going through the script you’ve been given, or do you want to do something for yourself?” The room was fixated on Misaki: The crowd had turned to her and began mumbling their disapproval, the Suits were torn between communicating between themselves and looking at Kokoro for advice; Kokoro, who herself now stared directly at the girl, mouth agape and eyes widened.

 

Misaki hadn’t wanted to die so much in a while, and Kokoro slowly gesturing to join her on the stairs wasn’t going to help (though she found herself walking up beside her nonetheless). She briefly looked at the other girl, who returned her a genuine smile, then took Misaki’s hand in hers before facing the crowd again.

 

“I’d like to start this again, if that’s okay with everyone.” Kokoro said, though there was no real chance for rebuttal from everyone around her. Misaki, for her part, simply tried to get her heart under control and ignore how sweaty her hands were. “This is Misaki! She works in one of our cafes, and even if I haven’t known her long she’s very important to me!”

 

_I’m going to die. This girl is going to kill me._

 

“Um, my papa was really good at making money, but one thing he always told me was just how important it was to make other people smile. Mama would always sit me down and tell me that I shouldn’t get so caught up in money.” She paused for a few moments, squeezing Misaki’s hand slightly tighter as she seemed to compose her thoughts. “But when mama and papa passed away, suddenly everyone wanted me to use my money to help them make money, and even so many people who came here today want to see me take over so I can make the Tsurumaki businesses more money. Even the script that some old men wrote for me talked about how I would ‘carry on the family legacy and increase profits globally’,” Kokoro grimaced, though only briefly.

 

“But that’s not what I want! So I’d like to announce from this day on that the Tsurumaki fortune exists not just for us, but to make the whole world smile! We’re going to be setting up charities on all of our businesses, and looking at what we can do to help out other people!”

 

Already the crowd had begun to stir, some people looking on with interest, others expressions turning to disgust. It was all Misaki could do to hold back a smirk - Kokoro was probably only just getting started.

 

“And!” She pointed dramatically, face now set into a wide grin. “We are also going to be reforming everyone in higher up positions! You’re not safe if you’re just here because your parents were - we only need people who want to help make everybody happy!”

 

That announcement prompted a reaction which nearly doubled the decibel count within the room, as almost everybody involved realised what had just occurred and begun to take action. The Suits talked into their mouthpieces hurriedly; the drunk old men in the crowd shout angrily; Kokoro laughed loudly and runs up the stairs, pulling Misaki along with her to the second floor before pushing open a door leading to a small balcony.

 

***

 

“I’m going to die, you know? That was the most embarrassing thing I’ve ever done, holy crap.”

 

Misaki kicked off her heels and slid down the wall, a loud sigh escaping all the while. Kokoro, meanwhile, simply giggled from her position over at the railing, though she soon joined Misaki in sitting on the floor.

 

“Why? It was so much fun!” Kokoro said, looking over at Misaki as if she were the only thing in the world. It was those eyes that she was so weak to, the ones that seemed to ignore everything else around her - if something besides Misaki existed it certainly couldn’t be found there.

 

“Heh, maybe you have a different idea of fun than I do then. Personally I’d rather jump off this balcony than do that again.” She smiled wryly as she looked out onto the horizon, the thick blanket of stars providing some comfort in the lonely night sky. She’d always found it a little entertaining to think about how wonderfully pointless her own actions were in the grander scale of things. It didn’t stop her from overthinking every minute detail of her life, but it provided some small comfort against her many mistakes.

 

“Do you regret it?”

 

Kokoro’s voice was small, questioning, as if she may break under the slightest breeze. She wasn’t even trying to put on a smile - her face was just as open. Misaki turns her head to face the blonde and replies without missing a beat.

 

“Nope. Never regretted anything less.” She blushed slightly, but maintained eye contact with the other girl, who had now returned to her default state of smiling. _Really, you’re just not playing fair, you know?_

 

The ground rustled under her feet as she stood up and slid down at Misaki’s side, right arm gently brushing the brunette’s side. What followed was a lengthy period of silence as the pair scanned the night sky. Kokoro seemed to scan her eyes along individual constellations, perhaps naming them in her head. Misaki’s own astronomical knowledge was lacking in comparison - she had to contend herself with trying to find what she believed to be the North Star, but she nonetheless enjoyed the moment.

 

It dawned on her how little she really knew about Kokoro, all things considered. She knew she was rich, sure, and had been able to glean a good deal of information about her situation from that, and she knew a lot of things that were more surface level, but in terms of specific knowledge it was impossible for her to say that she was particularly strong. The thought scared her, but she brushed it off for the moment. It would probably be fine - that’s what Kokoro would say, right?

 

“I knew you’d come, Misaki.” The silence was broken by Kokoro’s admission.

 

“The Suits, huh?” Misaki said.

 

“Ah, so they did go and talk to you!” Kokoro said, nodding as if to say she had known all along (well, she probably had). “But no, that’s not what I mean. Even if Maria-san hadn’t gone to talk to you I know you’d have come. You always end up doing things in the end, Misaki, even if you say you won’t.”

 

Misaki thought about rebuking the statement, but she can’t exactly deny it. And even if she was a little embarrassed by the compliment, she’d long ago learned that Kokoro would keep insisting how amazing she was until she accepted it, so accept it she did.

 

“You put a lot of faith in me, huh?” Misaki said.  
  
“Mhm! Because nobody else has been as nice to me as you have!” Kokoro said.

 

Misaki blushed, her heart accelerating at a dangerous rate. It really was quite simple with Kokoro wasn’t it? They both knew that stepping back inside would subject them to one of the worst interrogations of both of their lives, and they’d both have to explain some quite frankly ridiculous actions - but that just didn’t matter to Kokoro. They were there, on that balcony, at that moment, and nothing more needed to be thought about.

 

_Guess that kind of thinking is useful sometimes, huh?_

 

“...Thanks, Kokoro.” Misaki said, bringing the conversation to an end. She was rewarded through Kokoro lacing their fingers together, and seeing as she could no longer sink any deeper into a blush she simply accepted it, reciprocating the action.

 

They sat like that for a few comfortable moments, both simply quietly acknowledging the other’s company, and (in Misaki’s case at least) revelling in it.

 

“Hey Misaki, the stars are beautiful tonight, aren’t they?” Kokoro said, breaking the fragile silence of the night.

 

“Mhm.”

 

“They’re always so pretty out here, you know?”

 

“Mhm.”

 

“Sometimes if I got confused by what the old people were talking about I’d come and look at the stars, and then mama would come out and we would look at all the constellations together, and she’d point them out to me and she’d say-”

 

“Kokoro, I think I might like you.”

 

“Mhm, yeah! She’d say that!” Kokoro continued to talk excitedly, but was quickly interrupted by Misaki’s face coming into her field of vision - face entirely red, but set in a determined gaze.

 

“No, I mean… I’m an idiot, and I’m possibly in love with you. I don’t know if it’s that, but I definitely want to go out with you, I guess.” Misaki said nervously, as Kokoro’s eyes widened and her mouth fell open. “It’s fine if you don’t feel the same way I just… I can’t believe I wasn’t sure about it untmph-”

 

She hardly had a moment to breath before she felt Kokoro’s hands wrapping around her neck and her lips crashing into hers. Misaki panicked for a brief second, before shrugging, closing her eyes, and leaning into the kiss. _Guess it’s just like Kokoro to skip the answering part, huh?_ After what felt like mere fractions of seconds, she pulled away and stared at Kokoro who was…

 

_Oh my God, she’s grinning smugly. Kokoro can look smug? Why is this so attractive?_

 

“I know! I’m glad you finally figured it out, I’ve been waiting for you for weeks now!” Kokoro said, pulling Misaki into a tight embrace and continuing with “I told you I’d make you smile! I love you!” Misaki, for her part, simply groaned despite the wide grin on her face. Only Kokoro could make her feel like she lost even when everything had gone exactly as she wanted -  she hated it, but she wouldn’t change it for the world. They remained like that for a few moments, just the two of them beneath a blanket of stars, ignorant of the bustle coming from the building next to them.

 

“Hey Kokoro, it’s gonna suck when we go back inside y’know?” Misaki said, glancing at the other girl who’s cheeks were dusted with a light blush.

 

“Yep! It’s gonna be completely terrible!” Kokoro replied.

 

“Are you scared?” Misaki said.

 

“Nope! I’ve got you!”  Kokoro said.

 

The answer was cliche, and Misaki could see it coming from a mile away. _But,_ she thought as she leaned back from the embrace and pulled Kokoro up to a standing position, _I don’t think she’s wrong to think like that._

 

“Wanna go inside?” She asked, looking expectantly at the other girl, who responded with a simple nod. “Alright, let’s go have the worst day of our lives.” Misaki took a deep breath and clasped Kokoro’s hand within hers, before stepping back through the balcony door with a confident smile on her face and a nervous sweat threatening to break through at any moment.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed please feel free to leave a comment - and if you didn't please feel free to tell me why. MisaKoko is my life, and I had a great time writing this. I don't think it's perfect, but I can at least hope I did my best two girls justice.


End file.
